


Reforged

by NIKMA



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Body Worship, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Issues, Insecurity, M/M, Magical Elements, Major Character Injury, Mild Gore, Other, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, SHEITH - Freeform, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Shiro (Voltron)-centric, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 10:30:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12479532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NIKMA/pseuds/NIKMA
Summary: Surfing has been Shiro's entire life, his passion. He doesn't know what he would do without the thrill of riding the waves, without the water that prickled over his face every time he rode them, without the freedom it gave him, made him feel. Not only that, but surfing gave him a purpose he never thought he'd have. He was convinced it was his destiny.But fate has a funny way of presenting itself and Shiro, unfortunately, learns this the hard way.





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Everyone!  
> I'm excited to announce that this is my first Voltron fanfic. This work was heavily inspired by Soul Surfer; a great movie inspired by real life events. If you know about the movie or have heard about its plot, then you might have a very clear idea of what this story will be about. Although inspired, not everything that happens in the movie will happen in this story and vice versa.  
>  I hope you guys enjoy this story as much as I had fun writing it :)
> 
> IMPORTANT:  
> This is the Prologue, basically to explain Shiro’s past, meaning how he got into surfing and all that. The real story will start in chapter 2, so if you don't care about the Prologue, go straight to chapter 2 if you want. Although, I do recommend reading the prologue to understand Shiro's mentality and some of his flashbacks throughout the whole story.   
> Thank you! :)
> 
> Also, I wanna say a massive thank you to my Beta, TheLastChappie, for proof-reading these chapters! :) Go give them some love and check their account out!

Shiro, for as long as he could remember, has loved the ocean. That love had grown from a very bittersweet experience. When he was very young, he had almost drowned.

It had been summer vacation, and his family had recently moved to a beach house in California. So, his parents decided to explore the beaches around their house one day. He remembers this one beach they found; a few miles away from their house. It was slightly secluded, rocks and flora making it a bit more private from curious eyes. At said beach, his brother bet him on who could swim the farthest and fastest; and him being as competitive as he was, took him on his offer. He remembers vividly how they swam far away from the shore, ignoring their parents’ yells to not go past the reef and into open ocean. He just kept swimming and swimming, not even noticing how even his own brother had stopped and yelled at him to stop.

He couldn’t stop swimming, his brother’s pleas falling into deaf ears as the ocean overtook him; he felt this sudden rush of comfort overcome him. The ocean made him feel safe; safe and free.

 _Takashi! Stop! Be careful!_ His brother screamed, struggling to stay floating due to the massive waves.

He didn’t listen; too wrapped up in the feeling of warmth the ocean had provided him. He didn’t notice that he had crossed the reef and was now surrounded by deep water.

 For some reason, despite feeling so small and so vulnerable, he never once felt scared or hopeless; he felt at peace. It was a very weird sensation; it almost felt as if the water -the ocean- was comforting him. Lulling him into a strange trance that left him feeling dazed (That was probably the lack of oxygen, although Shiro would never admit that).

That feeling didn’t last too long after that, though. He eventually broke surface, taking deep breaths and laughing, ready to rub it in his brother’s face that he had won. But his smile disappeared when he didn’t see him anywhere. Then everything crashed down on him when the realization hit him; he was surrounded by big and aggressive waves alone and could barely see the shore.

 _“Kuro?!”_ He called out for his brother, only to be greeted by the deafening sound of the waves clashing with one another, trying to pull him in, but he refused, and swam against them, struggling to stay afloat. Everything happened so fast, and he found himself drowning, being pulled down; he wasn’t strong enough to swim against the currents. He remembers sinking, further away from the surface. He remembers looking up and seeing the sun reflecting on the water, too bright and on his face. He remembers feeling relaxed, despite everything, and then everything went black.

He doesn’t remember much after that

All he knows is that once he woke up, he was on the shore, gasping for air and choking up salt water. He could see his brother from the corner of his eye crying and holding his hand as his father rubbed his back, he vaguely remembers his mother asking him a bunch of questions to make sure he didn’t suffer from a concussion or something, but her voice at the time had seem so far away and he struggled to follow up with her and meekly told her that he was fine. He had never seen his brother so distraught before, and found himself weakly trying to comfort him, which only made his brother sob even louder. They never went to the beach again.

 After that event, he wasn’t allowed to go near the water, which sucked because they lived in a beach house. Not that he could blame his parents for it. He didn’t blame the ocean, either. He would spend hours just watching the waves clash with the rocks from his window, admiring their beauty. He can’t really explain his fondness for it, even less after his accident; he just felt like he had connected with it, and every time he went down to the beach -well, as close to it as his parents would allow him- he would spend hours upon hours just sitting on the warm sand, admiring the water and remembering how free he had felt when he was in it, swimming without a doubt in his mind. The ocean made him feel calm, like a big blanket that would drape over his shoulders and keep him safe and warm.

His love for the ocean, surprisingly, escalated to a love for surfing.

He was lying on his bed one day, when he suddenly heard cheers coming from the beach. He laid his homework aside and got up, to look out his window and see what all the ruckus was about.

What he didn’t expect was to see a bunch of people surfing. He had never seen people surfing on this beach before, so this was very new to him. He saw how one surfer had caught up with a gigantic wave, surfing it with such grace and confidence, that he immediately felt drawn to it. The slide of the surfer’s board against the water, as if the surfer was in control of the water for those few seconds had left him speechless and unable to look away. He didn’t _want_ to look away. He could hear the people cheering her on from the shore. He could how happy the surfer was, as she rode down the last of the wave, looking pleased and confident. He wanted that. He wanted to be able to be in the water and be the one in control, he wanted that freedom; and from that moment on, he knew that he wanted to surf.

That same night, at dinner, he sat with his parents and brother and told them that he wanted to surf. His parents were shocked, to say the least. They were surprised that he even wanted to get back in the water after what had happened to him, but he explained to them that this is what he wanted.

 _“I… I don’t know why, but I just feel like this is what I was born to do”_ said Shiro, looking at his parents with so much hope and want in his eyes. His mother had taken his hand and looked at him in the eyes, a kind smile on her face.

 _“Is this really what you want, Takashi?”_ asked his mother, kind eyes that still held a bit of doubt in them. He squeezed her hand, determination evident on his face.

_“More than anything”_

\---

Surfing wasn’t that much of a challenge for Shiro, on the contrary. Shiro was a natural at it.

 _“Are you sure that that boy hasn’t surfed before?”_   Shiro's coach asked in awe the first time they took him to surfing lessons. His parents only laughed and shook their heads no. They watched from the shore how Shiro, despite his lack of knowledge on surfing, had managed to get up on the board and ride his first wave, without falling.  _This is it_ , thought Shiro, smile so big on his face. 

_This is what I want._

Shiro couldn’t really explain the feeling he had when he got on that board. He felt its texture under his hands and smiled; that same thing he'd felt when he got in the water was back; peace and comfort. He laid on the board like his coach had told him to do. He laid still, observing the horizon, coach’s words fading out. All he could think -and _feel-_ was the water. He started to swim on his board, looking at the horizon. He needed the freedom. He needed this. And that’s how he subconsciously rode his first wave.

 It became much easier after that. Shiro kept surfing and surfing. He would surf whenever he had free time. He remembers how his coach one day, after practice, told him to stay because he needed to talk to him. Shiro had felt nervous, but pushed the feeling aside and waited patiently for his coach to speak first.

 _“Takashi, how do you feel about surfing competitively?”_ Had asked his coach, a smile on his face. Shiro couldn’t believe what he was saying. Him? Surfing competitively? As a professional sport? Shiro struggled to come up with an answer, eyes wide. He mostly surfed for the feeling it gave him. For the control and freedom, but he never once thought of doing it as a legit sport. 

 _“I-I don’t know? I’ve never… thought about it that way”_ Had said Shiro, slightly flustered. Pensive.

 _“You have potential, kid. I’ve never seen someone move like that on the board before; with such confidence and grace. You’ve never hesitated to step on that board. Always fearless. You’re very talented, Takashi. You should consider it. And when you’re ready, let me know”_ His coach had said, gentle smile on his face. He placed his hand on Shiro’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze before walking away. Shiro watched him leave.

 _Am I going to be good enough for this?_ He asked mostly to himself. He frowned and looked back at the ocean, watching its waves. The more he stared, the more he thought that he could. Confidence rushed through him. The ocean will be with him along the way, protecting him. He held his board tighter to his side, and with a smile, walked home.

 _Maybe I can be good enough to do this_.

Shiro had become a very known surfer after that. He won his very first competition, at the age of thirteen, scoring first place with an advantage of 30 points over the rest of his competition. It brought such a good feeling over him, knowing that he could be so good at what he loved, that he couldn’t just stop there. After that, he had made a big name for himself. Scoring multiple sponsorship contracts, the more competitions he won. He didn’t stop; winning championship after championship. He became a surfing prodigy. Everyone in the whole country wanted to sign him up to their professional surfing teams. By the age of 18, everyone knew who Takashi Shirogane was, he became a legend; being the youngest surfer in the _world_ to win 32 gold medals.

Despite all the fame he kept acquiring, he never once felt the corruption his peers always warned him to stay away from. The reason for that was because Shiro only surfed because he loved to, not because of the prizes he got. He still felt that ease every time he got on the board. He loved the feeling of the waves under him as he surfed, he loved knowing that he was the one in control of the water, he loved that he could be himself when he was out there. He loved that the only noise he heard when he was out there surfing, was the rustling of the wind and the sound of the waves, lulling him into its warm embrace. That was the only reason why he surfed. Because it made him feel alive.

And his reputation only got better from there. He finished high school as the Valedictorian; Garrison High’s Golden Boy. He was wanted by the most prestigious universities in the country, all desperately wanting Shiro to join their campuses and have such a brilliant individual in their grasps. Shiro had politely declined all their offers, deciding that he was going to pursue his dream of surfing professionally. His parents had been upset over it, yes; the fact that he had chosen a sport over a very promising a bright future with many opportunities, but they knew that Shiro’s happiness was more important to them. And, with a little coaxing, his parents finally came to terms with his decision, agreeing that if it made Shiro happy, then it made them happy.

 Shiro just _knew_ that this was his fate and that he was born to do this. He needed to trust his heart.

And his heart wanted to surf.

 

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, Everyone!  
> This is the first chapter of the story. The one previous being the prologue, which I do recommend you read because it’s a very important explanation of Shiro’s character and mentality. It’s kinda long, I know, but hopefully it’ll be worth it as the story goes on! :P Sorry for any inconvenience. 
> 
> IMPORTANT:  
> They live in Australia; I didn’t feel like explaining it in the Prologue, sorry ;-;  
> Basically, Shiro accepts a surfing contract in Australia and he moves there after he graduates high school. There, he meets the rest of the gang, all of them were exchange students from different programs just like him. Fairly simple. Also, Allura and Coran are native Australians. 
> 
> P.S: Also, whenever the dialog is in the italic font, it means that that scene is either a flashback or that one of them is thinking/having loud thoughts. 
> 
> Their Ages, because they’re all adults in this; no children in me swamp:  
> Shiro -20  
> Keith- 19  
> Lance- 19  
> Hunk- 19  
> Pidge- 18
> 
> Hope that clears some stuff up, lol.  
> Enjoy! :)

The shrilling noise of the phone could be heard all over their house. It was loud and annoying to say the least. “Shiro, the phone!” Screamed Keith at his boyfriend, eyes glued to the tv, loud enough so that he didn’t have to get up to get him. Shiro came rushing down the stairs, wearing nothing but his sweatpants, delirious from sleep and saw that his boyfriend had pulled another all-nighter with that video game he had gotten yesterday.

_“I’m going to actually fucking die if I don’t get this game! I’ll take you out to dinner or something if you go with me, Shiro, I swear” said Keith, on the verge of begging. And Keith never begs, so it must’ve been important; it only made Shiro groan at Keith’s ridiculousness. Because it was all for a video game, it’s stupid “It’s not just a video game, dude” scowled Keith, sounding legitimately offended, which made Shiro roll his eyes. Needless to say, they spent seven hours outside of their local Game Stop in a line, with sweaty geeks talking about Skyrim and Warcraft, to get the first release of said game. Shiro wanted to die throughout the whole thing. Video games weren’t really his thing, and waiting seven fucking hours for one didn’t -and wasn’t- something Shiro ever wanted to do again._

Although it had been a pain, Keith did make it up to him that afternoon with some rather interesting activities that still made him flush if he thought about it too hard, so he wasn’t _that_ pissed at him anymore.

Shiro looked at him with a fond smile, and made his way towards him. He stopped right in front of the tv blocking his view of the game, and, immediately, Keith started shouting at him to move “Shiro, get out of the way, oh my _god_!” Keith growled and pushed him -not too hard- out of the way and smacked him on the ass, making Shiro cackle as he made his way towards the kitchen to retrieve the phone.

Once he entered, he stopped dead in his tracks and sighed at the mess Keith had left from last night, he’ll make him clean it up… eventually. He picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. He smirked and answered “Hell-““ Shiro, what is up my man, my beautiful dude, what are you and Satan up to today?” Practically screamed Lance over the phone, excitement evident on his voice; not even letting Shiro greet him. Shiro rolled his eyes and chuckled “Lance, what did we say about calling Keith the devil?” he asked his friend over the phone, trying to contain his laughter.

He could hear Keith groaning from the couch “yeah, yeah, no name calling, I get it, but it’s so fuun, Takashi” whined Lance and Shiro couldn’t help but laugh at his friend. “anywayyy, as much as I love spending my days thinking of juicy insults for Keith, that’s not the reason for this specific call” Lance said, sounding quite excited. “Oh? Then what is it, bud” Shiro asked, attention perking up at that. He glanced at Keith from the kitchen and saw that he had paused the game and was mouthing at Shiro to hang the fuck up, but Shiro simply winked at him and turned around, looking out the window and leaning against the counter. “Okay, Okay, so. Hunk, Pidge and yours truly are on our way to this super-secret beach that’s been rumored to have _the_ most amazing waves ever this time of year and since we love you so much and know that you love to fuck the ocean, we’re on our way to pick you and Keith up and head down there to surf. You in?” Lance said, smug as ever. Shiro could hear the wind rustling loudly every time Lance spoke, so he assumed Lance had his head out the window or some stupid shit like that, he’ll scold him when he saw him about the dangers of doing that. Shiro couldn’t help the smile that crept up to his face when Lance mentioned surfing. Lance knew he wouldn’t say no if surfing was involved. “We’re up for it” Said Shiro, smile on his face. “Sweeet, pick you guys up in about 30 minutes or so, Hunk needs to stop and take a piss… again” Lance said annoyed, “I can’t help it!” Screamed Hunk loud enough for Shiro to hear him. Shiro laughed “We’ll be ready by then” he said and hung up the phone.

Shiro then walked out of the kitchen as quietly as he could muster and peeked over the hall to see Keith still glued to the tv. _Yeah, getting him out of the house is going to be a problem,_ Thought Shiro. Suddenly, and idea occurred to him and he smirked, making his way over to Keith.

He walked over to the back of the couch, and wrapped his arms around Keith’s shoulders. He pressed a kiss to the side of his head, lingering a bit, once he saw that Keith didn’t say anything, he started kissing down the back of his neck, hands running down his chest. “I know what you’re doing” Said Keith flatly. Shiro stopped abruptly, feeling a blush forming on his cheeks over slight embarrassment. “Well... Is it working?” He whispered into his ear, noticing the goosebumps that formed on Keith’s neck. Keith groaned and paused the game to turn around and look at Shiro in the eye. “you’re the worst” he spat with no real venom behind his words, and got up from the couch, making Shiro cheer. Keith rolled his eyes “Where are we going, anyways?” he asked, making his way upstairs, Shiro hot on his tail. “We’re going surfing” Stated Shiro with a smirk. “Really now” Had asked Keith, and he could hear the smirk on his voice without even looking at him. “Yea. Lance said they found this “super-secret” beach that supposedly has the best waves in town, he’s already on his way with the rest of the gang and they’ll be here in like 30 minutes or something” Stated Shiro once they entered their bedroom. “Well, you know me, if there’s surfing and Shiro involved, I’m in” said Keith, looking around for his wetsuit.

Shiro felt his heart stammer at that and smiled at Keith. He grabbed his hand, making Keith stop what he was doing and brought him close. Keith looked up at him with a smug look on his face “You really mean that?” Asked Shiro, with the softest smile Keith had ever seen. A smile that was for Keith and Keith only. Keith rolled his eyes fondly and smiled, bringing Shiro into a hug, wrapping his arms around his waist and leaning up to press his face into Shiro’s neck “yes, you know how much I love surfing with you” he muttered into Shiro’s ear.

Keith had been someone who unexpectedly came into Shiro’s life.

_During one of his surfing lessons, way back when he first arrived at Australia about a year and a half ago, he saw this dude looking at him from the shore. Shiro already knew who the dude was, for he always came by to watch him practice; the fact that Shiro even noticed that, was weird. In Shiro’s defense, the dude kind of stood out. He always wore jeans. In possibly the hottest part of Australia, which was very questionable. And had these gloves -leather gloves- on all the time. Shiro remembers one day, as he was leaving the beach, the dude called out for him. Shiro looked at him, and froze in the spot. Although the dude had a bizarre fashion sense for such weather, he couldn’t help but admit that the guy was very handsome. He was very pale, had this amazing smile -more like smirk, but still- and gorgeous eyes. He had introduced himself as Keith and told Shiro that he had been a very big fan of him growing up. Shiro had felt a blush creeping up his face, and had forced it to go away. He jokingly offered him an autograph, but Keith had smirked and bluntly told him he’d rather take him out on a date. Later he found out, it took Keith nearly two months to even approach him because he was so nervous, which was adorable, honestly. The rest was history._

“I love surfing with you too” Said Shiro, leaning down and kissing Keith softly, who in turn reciprocated. “I love surfing with you, but I think I love you more than that” Said Keith, slightly breathless and tightening his hold on Shiro; he had hint of mischief on his voice.

Shiro’s smile faltered for a bit, but he quickly recovered; he felt a pang on his stomach at Keith words. He wished he could tell him that he felt the same way. He loved Keith with all his heart, yes. But… he can’t compare his love for Keith with his love for surfing. It was almost impossible and every time he thought about that, it left him feeling guilty and miserable.

Keith sensed his hesitation and grabbed him by the chin softly, making him look at him. “Hey, it’s okay, Shiro. I know your love for surfing is… bizarrely personal, I get it. I know how you feel about me, and that’s all that matters, okay?” Smiled Keith, gently caressing Shiro’s bottom lip. Shiro nodded in Keith hold “I love you so much, you know that, right?” He whispered, throat tight with emotion. Keith pressed his forehead against his “I know” He said, pecking his mouth softly.

Keith then pulled back from their embrace “Well, we better get ready, then” He said, looking around for his wetsuit. He suddenly turned around and looked at Shiro with a scowl on his face “By the way, did that fucker call me Satan again?” He groaned. Shiro laughed and went to find his suit as well. “No but really, did he?”

 

\---

 

A few minutes later, and without too much hassle, Shiro was downstairs, wetsuit on, making sure they had everything ready; boards, a few snacks and a first aid kit. From experience, he knew they were going to need it some way or another. Most likely for Keith, he was a reckless surfer, after all.

Once he made sure everything was set, he waited patiently for Keith to finish getting ready. He sat down by the couch and thought about what Keith had told him. Even if he had assured Shiro that everything was okay and that he loved him, he still felt bad that he couldn’t flat out just tell Keith that he was the most important thing in his life, because he’d be lying through his teeth. And that thought alone just made him feel like an absolute asshole. Keith deserved to be told that he means the world to someone. But Shiro just can’t. He’s tried -he really has- but he just can’t bring himself to say it. He doesn’t feel ready for that and he’s very grateful that Keith somewhat understood that when he told him. He really does love Keith -a lot- but he’s not sure if it’s portraying properly enough for Keith to _know_ that. Shiro was too caught up with his thoughts, that he didn’t see Keith coming down the stairs. 

“You’re thinking again, Takashi” Said Keith, eyebrows furrowed. He made his way to Shiro standing in front of where he was sitting. He frowned, looking down at his boyfriend and reached out to glide his hand over Shiro’s bangs. Shiro snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at Keith with a thin smile. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you” He really didn’t. Keith sighed “Babe, don’t think too much about that, okay? It’s nothing to worry about. Stop putting too much thought into it, you know I hate it when you overthink” He said, frown deepening. He kept running his hands over Shiro’s bangs and pulled his head in to kiss his forehead. “You’re right, I’m sorry” Said Shiro; he closed his eyes and lost himself in the feeling of Keith’s touch. He ran his hands down Keith’s back, resting them on his waist and basking greedily on the affection.

Their moment was interrupted by loud and continuous honking coming from outside, making them flinch away from each other. They looked at each other for a moment, eyes wide and laughed. “Fucking Lance, I’ll murder him” grumbled Keith, giving Shiro small kisses all over his face, and lastly one lingering on the lips. “C’mon, let’s go” Said Keith, smiling down at Shiro before grabbing his board and looking back at Shiro with a smile. Shiro has never felt luckier to have someone as amazing as him. He felt himself smile and get up from the couch, picking his things up.

Once they got out of the house, they made their way towards Hunk’s pick-up truck “My dudes, what is up?” Yelled Lance from the passenger’s seat, and yep, Shiro’s thoughts were correct. Lance was sitting on the edge of the rolled down window, with practically half his body splayed out and holding onto the side of the car. “You’re going to fall, dumbass” Spat Keith, practically reading Shiro’s mind. Shiro shot a look at Keith for his wording, and elbowed him, getting an eye roll from Keith. Shiro then greeted them all. Hunk offered to help with their things, but Shiro politely declined his offer, insisting that he could manage. “Shut up, you’re the dumbass, dumbass” Said Lance, smug as if he told the joke of the century. Shiro could hear Pidge groaning from the back seat. They arranged their boards and backpacks on the trunk and hopped in, sitting by its sides. Keith patted the side of the car, instructing Hunk that they were ready to go. “Hunk, why do they get to be in the trunk, that ain’t fair” Complained Lance. “Because they aren’t savages with a death wish, unlike you” Deadpanned Pidge, which made Lance flip her off. Hunk laughed and started the engine, pulling out of Keith and Shiro’s driveway and making his way down the road.

Shiro had to admit that, although Australia was hot as balls, the view he got made it worth. They lived outside of the city, on a small town by the peer and the view was truly beautiful. The ocean always stood proud and blue, big waves practically made for surfing. The vegetation around the town surprisingly wasn’t dried up and dull, it was big and green. It was so full of vegetation, that the town they lived in was secluded from the big cities. It was very quiet here, but Shiro loved it that way.

 “Boys” Drawled out Lance, peering out the window to look back at Keith and Shiro, ridiculously close to falling out of the car. “We’re going to make one last stop by Thunder’s Convenience Store. Hunk wants to buy some stuff to eat” Said Lance, looking a bit apologetic. Shiro smiled at Lance “That’s okay, do you want me to buy it for you?” Said Shiro loud enough for Hunk to hear him. Hunk looked at him through the rear-view mirror and smiled sheepishly “If you don’t mind” said Hunk “No worries, I got it” Said Shiro brushing it off Hunk looked almost relieved “Thanks, man. The clerk there really hates me for some reason” Pouted Hunk. “Nonsense, he doesn’t hate you, dude” Interrupted Lance “He just doesn’t like you, totally different” Said Lance. Keith groaned “You’re so stupid” he said. Lance scoffed and looked at Keith “Your _face_ is stupid” He retorted. Keith scowled at Lance, which only made Lance flip him off, a challenging look on his face. “Lance, how old are you?” Complained Pidge. “Old enough” Lance said cheekily. That comment made Pidge scoff and Hunk busted out laughing. “That’s enough you two” Intervened Shiro, trying to be the reasonable adult here. “and Lance” Shiro turned to look at Lance, who looked at him with a smirk “yes, Shiro?” He asked, throwing a wink his way. Shiro kept a stoic look on his face, ignoring Lance’s god-awful flirting. “ _Please_ stop leaning out the window like that, you’re going to fall… and possibly die” He scolded. Lance pouted at him, but Shiro kept a firm look in his eyes, staring at him until finally Lance broke, sagging against the car’s window “Ughh, fine, _dad_. Geez you’re so not cute when you’re like this” He whined and disappeared into the passenger’s seat, which made Shiro smile proudly. Keith rolled his eyes at the comment “not true, you’re always cute” he said, arms crossed. Shiro looked at Keith with a gentle smile. _Thank you._

“Say, Hunk” Said Pidge, not looking up from her phone “What made the convenience store clerk hate you so much that you can’t even show your face there anymore?” She asked. Everything stayed silent for and few seconds until suddenly Lance busted out laughing, which only made Hunk groan. “Tell her, Hunk!” Laughed Lance, hitting Hunk on the shoulder. “I, uh...” Said Hunk, eyes on the road. Shiro ignored the fact that Lance was hitting Hunk, who was _driving,_ only for the sake of not interrupting Hunk’s story. Shiro could see Hunk’s ears turning a deep shade of red from the side mirrors and felt sorry for his friend. “It’s, uh, well…” Said Hunk meekly; he swallowed before continuing. “It’s no big deal really, but basically, I… uh, last month, I got into a very heated discussion with an elderly woman about the dangers of not washing the lettuce when you’re going to make a salad, right?” He said, shoulders bunching up, getting more embarrassed by the minute. Shiro could hear Keith scoffing. “The lady ended up calling the manager, and well, he sided with her for some bizarre reason, and I got so offended that I, in the heat of the moment, smacked the cake that the lady was holding out of her hands and it fell onto the floor and… its splattered everywhere” Once Hunk finished his story, Lance was breathless and wheezing. Pidge was cackling, and Keith was trying not to laugh, face turning an interesting shade of red. “Hunk, that’s so unlike you” Said Shiro, surprised, trying to contain his laughter as well. “He got into a fight! With an old lady about _lettuce_!” Laughed Lance, hitting the side of the car. “She doesn’t wash it! That’s dangerous!” Yelled Hunk, exasperated, which only made all of them laugh harder.

Hunk sighed in defeat. He then took a right, entering the parking lot of the convenience store. Once there, he parked decently close to the entrance “Shiro, get me some Tostitos and Guac, please” Said Hunk, looking back at Shiro with a smile. “On it, big guy” Said Shiro and got out of the trunk, making his way to the entrance “Thanks, Shiro, you’re the best” Yelled Hunk. “Yes, you are, Shiro, my dude! also bring me some lemonade! None of that Minute Maid shit, get me the good stuff!” Yelled Lance. Shiro smiled turned around and gave Lance a thumbs up.

Once inside, he made a beeline to the party section, picking what Hunk had asked for. He then made his way to the refreshments section and picked some lemonade bottle with some fancy ass label up and made his way to the cashier. Once in line, Shiro looked around the booths, finding interest in the tiny hand-sanitizer bottles. _They’re so teeny_ , thought Shiro with an amused smile. His train of thought got interrupted by a conversation some old dudes were having on the line besides his, making him look their way. “Did you hear, Trevor? Supposedly there’s a giant shark infestation around the south, massive tiger sharks, they say” “Yeah, mate, some freaky shit. It’s a shame, really. That’s also where most surfers go to catch the big waves. Oh well” Retorted the old man. Shiro couldn’t help the slight fear that rose up to his chest. Sharks have always been very common here in Australia; specially because every year they migrate, and one of their migration paths passed all around the south of Australia. But surprisingly so, that has never stopped the surfers from enjoying the waves this time of year, so Shiro reasoned that he had nothing to worry about, so he calmed himself down. Still, he’s going to have to be careful and keep an eye out for them, just in case. He looked over at them and tried to hear more of their now hushed conversation, only to lock eyes with that Trevor fella. Shiro quickly looked away, embarrassed that he’s been caught eavesdropping. “Hey, I see you’re wearing a wetsuit; be careful out there, son” Said Trevor, addressing Shiro with furrowed eyebrows. Shiro smiled politely, despite feeling extremely uncomfortable. “Will do, sir, thank you” He responded. That made Trevor smile and tilt his hat Shiro’s way. Quickly after that, he paid for his stuff and power walked as fast as he could to the car. “Hey, isn’t that that Shirogane dude?” He could hear being whispered behind him. “Dude is a god at surfing, from what I’ve heard” Said another. Shiro felt a swell of pride at their comments and kept walking.

 _God at surfing, huh? That sounds pretty good,_ Thought Shiro with a bashful smile.

He made his way through the parking lot and towards Hunk’s pick-up truck. Once Hunk saw him, he smiled widely “Thanks, man” He said. Lance appeared out the window and looked at Shiro with a smug look “My lemonade, good sir” He said with a painfully cringy posh accent, stretching his hand out for it. Shiro rolled his eyes and reached into the grocery bag, pulling the lemonade out and throwing it Lance’s way. Lance’s face contorted to one of horror as he scrambled to catch it, barely managing to not let the bottle shatter into the ground. “Shiro, you asshole!” He yelled, pouting. Shiro laughed, threw the grocery bag at Pidge and made his way towards the trunk. He hopped in, this time scooching next to Keith, so they were sitting next to each other, which made Keith smile -well, the Keith equivalent of a smile-; Keith then leaned into Shiro’s side and reached out for his hand “Thank god you’re back, Pidge was just going to start talking about conspiracies theories regarding McDonald’s again. Pretty sure I was just about to fucking jump out of the truck” He groaned, which made Shiro laugh.

After they got everything settled, Hunk started the engine, making their way down the road.

Shiro sighed and leaned back, resting his head back against the side of the truck. He tried not to worry about what they had said about the shark thing, but a part of him just couldn’t brush it off. It’s funny, really; when you thought about it, it seemed kind of cliché and how usually a horror movie start. The protagonists going to a secluded and prohibited area, only to get murdered by some killer _. That’s mostly how those went, anyways._ Thought Shiro, eyebrows furrowed.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and Shiro looked at his side and saw that Keith was looking at him with a worried expression. “You okay?” he asked. Shiro sighed and grabbed Keith’s hand in his, squeezing it. “I’m fine, it’s just that” He leaned closer to Keith and whispered “when I was in the store, I heard these guys saying that there’s sharks in the waters -you know, migrating and all that- and that they’re in the south, and since we’re heading there, I dunno, it didn’t sit right I guess… but I’m fine, really. I’m probably overreacting anyways” He finished, sheepishly. He ran a hand through his bans and pushed them back. A habit he did when he was embarrassed. Sensing that, Keith tightened his grip on Shiro’s hand “Hey, there’s nothing wrong with being worried, you know. Sharks are a serious thing, and it’s okay to be aware of it -of _them_ \- And it’s better this way; you know why? Because we’ll be even more careful, so I’m glad you brought it up” Said Keith, kissing the back of Shiro’s hand. He then looked at Shiro with a glint of mischief in his eyes “Besides, I don’t think that _the_ legendary surfer Takashi Shirogane, lover and enthusiast of the ocean, is going to let some dumbass shark get in the way of his surfing. Or am I wrong?” He teased. Shiro groaned and smiled at Keith “You’re so embarrassing, stop stroking my ego” He smiled at Keith. His ability to always know what to say to Shiro to calm him down is something that still amazed him. He just always knew what to say, and Shiro loved that about him. He looked up at Shiro with admiration in his eyes. “God, you’re beautiful” He stated, not breaking eye contact with him. Shiro couldn’t deny the way his heart swelled up at Keith’s words and the blush that was trying to make his way up to his face. He scoffed and wrapped an arm around Keith’s shoulders, pulling him into a side hug. “Last time I checked, I’m not a god” He said, giving him a kiss to his temple. Keith groaned “Just accept my compliment, your jokes are almost as bad as Lance’s” He complained, leaning into Shiro.

“You two are so gross” Groaned Pidge, which made Shiro chuckle. He looked back at Pidge, who was looking at them with a monotone expression. “Your _face_ is gross, fuck off” Spat Keith, huffing as he settled his head against Shiro’s shoulder.

Before Pidge could retort, Hunk interrupted them, yelling from the driver’s seat “We’re almost there, guys” Lance cheered “finally, I was just about to die from Keith’s ugliness!” He said, looking back at Keith with a smug look. Keith, without even looking at him, flipped him off.

Looking back at his friends and how they’ve come such a long way, Shiro has truly never been happier to be sharing his passion with all of them. They all loved to surf with him -some more than others, but still- they relinquish on the fact that it’s a bonding tradition. Something sacred to them; made them closer to each other _. Well as close as they can be,_ thought Shiro with a smile, looking at Lance and Keith fight. Pidge fueling Keith on and Hunk trying to calm an already agitated Lance as best as he could.

_Yeah, I wouldn’t change this for the world._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
